


History

by Dawn_Blossom



Series: Azurrin Week 2016 [7]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Corrin and Azura otp their past selves, F/F, High School, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-08-07 05:31:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7702546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawn_Blossom/pseuds/Dawn_Blossom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Azurrin Week 2016: Day 7 - Prompt: Story</p><p>Corrin and Azura just know that their teacher's lesson on the ancient hero Kamui is inaccurate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	History

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe it's day 7 already! I've had such a good time this week; everyone's works have been so good! 
> 
> This wasn't my original idea for this prompt (I had wanted to write about Corrin travelling the world to tell people about Azura. Kamui still does this! It's just not the focus of the story.) I like how this turned out, though, for the purposes of being the last fic I'm posting for Azurrin week. I think it gives a sense of their story continuing into perpetuity.
> 
> As a side note, isn't it sad that Azura's Birthright/Conquest entries always involve her becoming a historical mystery (and if she's married, the only records are of her marriage + whatever Shigure says about her). I just can't imagine that Corrin would willingly let her fade into obscurity! But then I realized that in Corrin's unpaired Birthright/Conquest endings, official records don't exist, either (although stories of a hero who brought peace spread around). But since everyone else apparently has official records, I imagine that future historians' stances would be that Corrin and Azura probably existed. But I think they would be more interested in studying Corrin, who probably left at least a few concrete clues to their identity - such as a diary, as is the case in this fic.

_“… My darling Aqua, your presence is much missed from the castle. Can you still reach me here, I wonder? You seem to fade from the memories of even those who fought at your side, but I can never forget. I cannot tell if our comrades have truly forgotten, or if they merely wish not to speak your name—out of respect? mourning?—there’s a sad certainty about the matter, even though I’ve never told them about that night. It seems I am the only one left who still longs for you, but fear not, dear love, for I will do everything in my power to tell your story. Every being in the kingdom of Nohr shall know your name, though I fear their ears will only hear and not listen…”_

“And to this day, nobody is really sure if Aqua ever truly existed, of if she was merely a spirit—or even just the personification of Kamui’s will to fight.”

Corrin frowned as her teacher’s words.She normally enjoyed history, her last class of the day, but today she was irritated. She had always been interested in the history of Nohr, particularly the early war with Hoshido (“Kamui’s War,” as scholars called it) and their subsequent rebuilding of the country. Kamui and Aqua were her favorite historical figures, and she had done enough research about them over the course of her life to know when she was hearing inaccurate information. It wasn’t that she thought she knew _more_ than her teacher, it was just that… what he was saying was _wrong_. She had to say something, didn’t she?

“Um, pardon me,” a quiet voice from the front of the room spoke. Corrin was surprised to see Azura raising her hand. She was usually so quiet and distant from other people. Corrin never would have imagined her speaking in class, although she knew that she was actually tied with her for having the best grades in the class. Corrin would be lying if she said she wasn’t fascinated by her.

“Yes, Azura?” the teacher responded. The rest of the class turned to look at her, and Corrin expected her to look shy or nervous, but that was not the case. Instead, she sat upright and spoke with certainty.

“I think it’s made very clear from Kamui’s personal writings that Aqua did exist as a person. What happened to her after the war is never explicitly stated, but Kamui writes as if she believed her lover to be dead.” Azura stated. Corrin just about fell in love with her right then and there. That had been exactly what she wanted to say! 

The teacher frowned at her. “While that is a popular interpretation of her writings, there is plenty of ambiguity in the situation. For example, in the official record of the war, there is no mention of Aqua’s or Kamui’s names. There is simply nothing _official_ to shed any light on them. For all we know, those writings could be false. Furthermore, even if we assume Aqua was a real person, to suggest that she and Kamui were lovers requires a massive stretch of imagination. Now, if you look in your textbook, there is actually an interesting discussion of Kamui’s relationships…“

Groans could be heard around the room. The students were all used to their teacher going off on tangents. Normally, Corrin didn’t mind, but in this case, she wanted to groan, too. Kamui and Aqua were almost certainly lovers. You don’t call people “the keeper of my heart” if you aren’t in love with them. There were also passages where Kamui referred to herself as “[Aqua’s] sweet princess.” It was _pretty_ clear.

_“… Lately, she keeps me company at night. Aqua, oh, the keeper of my heart, she keeps the nightmares at bay. Her voice need not be imbued with special power for it to have power over me. I know she does not practice magic, yet when I am called her sweet princess it is as if a spell has been laid over my soul…”_

She didn’t realize it at first, but she had started furiously scribbling her objections into the margins of her notes.

“… and while it’s true she never married, her recurrent mentions of Joker, who was her butler, compared to the relatively few mentions of his wife, Mozume, suggest that she may have been having an affair with him.”

_“… Joker has been just darling to me lately, though I feel terrible for keeping him so late. Though he swears he is always at my beck and call, to keep him from his family is too cruel. I must learn to face the night by myself. Oh, how soft I’ve grown from Aqua’s lullabies! There was a time before I met her when nightmares were merely a fact of life. I know I must return now to those days, though I loathe it…”_

Corrin was certain that such an affair had never happened, but she didn’t have any real evidence to support her belief, so she didn’t bother to write it down. She must have still been scowling, though, because the teacher then turned his attention to her.

“Corrin, would you like to add something to this discussion?”

Oh boy, would she. But she would get kicked out of class if she started yelling, so she bit her tongue and did her best to remain calm.

“Well, I just think we should get back to Aqua and Kamui. There’s so much evidence that they were engaged in a romantic relationship. It far outnumbers the amount of evidence to the contrary. None of these other possibilities would preclude their having a relationship. And I just think it’s sad that the textbook only gives Aqua a footnote when she was clearly important to Kamui. You can’t deny that, can you? She was constantly mentioned.”

_“… Her name is Aqua. She did not join us, but I will never forget her name. I shall write it over and over until it is engraved in my memory. Aqua, Aqua, Aqua, Aqua…”_

_“Aqua decided to come with us. I am pleased, but I hate that it was because her allies betrayed her. Still, I feel with her here, we cannot possibly lose this war. I will write her name here until it burns into my spirit, imbuing it with all the strength she carries within her. Aqua, Aqua, Aqua…”_

_“… I will not let her fade from me. Aqua. Aqua. I will carve her into my very soul so that she becomes a part of me. I will not let her go…”_

_“… Aqua, my dear, you are still in my thoughts even as my time to leave this life draws near. Please wait a little longer. I will be with you…”_

From the corner of her eyes, Corrin watched Azura’s head whip around. She guessed Azura was also heavily invested in this topic. It made her happy that someone else was as interested as she was. Why weren’t they friends? Corrin made up her mind to approach the other girl after class. She felt like she could talk forever about Kamui’s war. She wondered if Azura felt that way, too.

“Yes, yes, but it’s rather hard to devote more than a few sentences to someone we aren’t even sure was a person,” the teacher said in a somewhat defensive tone.

Corrin suppressed the urge to growl. Before she could form a rebuttal, however, the shrill sound of a bell announced the end of the class period.

“Oh no, we’ve run out of time again!” The teacher bounded forward, frantically writing on the board at the front of the room. “Don’t forget that there will be a quiz next week!” he cried as the students started to push their way out of the room.

Azura, not one for crowds, waited calmly near her seat for the others to clear out. Corrin, not in any rush herself, approached her.

“Uh… hi, Azura,” she greeted..

“Hello, Corrin,” Azura responded. “Did you need something?” she asked politely.

“Oh, no, I just thought I’d say… I thought you made some really good points in the class discussion today,” Corrin said.

“Thank you,” Azura said, her lips stretching into a small smile. “I don’t think the textbook adequately covers Aqua’s role in the war, and it seemed wrong to overlook it. Even if we can’t be sure of her exact actions, Kamui writes in several instances that she wouldn’t know what to do without her.”

_“… I know Marx, Camilla, Leon, and Elise have always been here for me, yet it wasn’t until Aqua joined that I felt truly confident that we could win this war. I sometimes feel she has a sixth sense about what’s happening. She avoids the topic whenever I bring it up, though. I wish she would feel more comfortable opening up…”_

_“… I am now more convinced than ever that we could not win our war without Aqua. I accidentally followed her to **that place** and my heart aches for her, though admittedly I still do not fully understand. At least I am finally aware of her reasons for keeping secrets! I suppose I must accept that there are questions in this life that I will never get answered…”_

“I completely agree!” Corrin said enthusiastically. "Aqua may be mysterious, but we actually have a lot of writing about her! Kamui spent much of her postwar years trying to keep Aqua’s memory alive, and it’s terrible that we ignore that just because some scholars like the idea of a person being a metaphor.”

_“… I told a group of travelers passing through about Aqua. One of their members apparently has a passion for poetry and was inspired to write up a few verses about her. It’s really quite beautiful, but it never even mentions her name, referring only to a ‘Songstress of the Spring.’ Aqua, would you be alright with that? I think you would be, but I myself am not satisfied…”_

_“…I don’t understand why everyone is so reluctant to utter the name ‘Aqua!’ Is there a curse on her name, as there is on **that place?** But there surely cannot be, for not a day passes that I do not utter it, and I have not been cursed. Or have I? For all that I am hailed as a hero, I cannot find anyone who will allow me to officially record my account of Aqua, or even of the war! ‘We do not have proof of her deeds,’ the bookkeepers at the castle insist. Am I not proof enough? 'We cannot risk personal bias.' As if **they** are not biased? I suspect that they may still be bitter about her mother being Garon’s second wife after the death of their former queen. Marx has told me personally about that time. Do I believe that Nohrians are petty enough to continue such an old grudge? I want to say no, but the war has shown me sides of my countrymen that I never would have believed before. Macbeth and Ganz were not the only of their type in Nohr. I hope Marx will straighten out such unsavory figures during his reign…”_

Azura nodded in agreement. “I know we only have stories about them now, but I just know Kamui’s diaries are real. Just because the sources aren’t official doesn’t make their information worthless.”

Corrin’s eyes lit up with a fiery passion as she began to speak again. The two girls continued their discussion to the hallway, to their lockers, and even outside the school building. When they finally parted, it was with a promise to continue their conversation the next day.

Corrin wasn’t sure why she was so enthralled, but she was certain that the connection between her and Azura would only grow deeper over time.

_“… I have a feeling that these are the last words I will ever write, but I can’t bring myself to be unsatisfied. I have seen Nohr become peaceful under Marx’s rule, and prosperous under Siegbert’s. I am ready to move on from this place. Aqua, my dear, I won’t keep you waiting any longer. Darling, if we should ever meet again in a different life, do you think we’ll remember everything we’ve done together? No, we wouldn’t, would we? Well, no matter. I’ll fall for you again. My love, that’s certain.”_


End file.
